An interest meeting for the new Interdisciplinary Graduate Minor in Computational Science (IGMCS) will be held at 10:00 a.m. Friday, September 14 in the Shiloh Room at the University Center.

The interest meeting will cover important information about the new minor such as what it will teach, correct application procedure and the requirements necessary to obtain an IGMCS in both master's and doctoral programs.

Terry Moore, associate director of the Center for Information Technology Research at the University of Tennessee, explains that computational science blends mathematics, computer science and domain sciences.

Training in [computational science] can enhance your value no matter what field of graduate study you're in. If you want to work at the forefront of research or industry, it's essesntial."Domain sciences," says Moore, "rely on mathematics and statistics to formulate their theories and they rely on computer and information science to encode the theories and data in a way that will allow computers to work on them." In short, computational science allows researchers to analyze immense amounts of data and even simulate naturally occurring phenomena with computers. 

A graduate student in any field of study may pursue an IGMCS so long as the department in which they are seeking a graduate degree in approves a program of courses with  the IGMCS Program Committee.

According to Moore, "[t]he physical sciences and many fields of engineering are the most computationally intensive today." He feels that any field can benefit from an IGMCS: "Training in [computational science] can enhance your value no matter what field of graduate study you're in. If you want to work at the forefront of research or industry, it's essential."

The IGMCS program was initiated by UT Chancellor Loren Crabtree and was modeled on a program established in the statistics department a few years ago. 

Related web sites:

IGMCS: Interdisciplinary Graduate Minor in Computational Science